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Latest newsen-gbEuropean Commissioncnect-editor-nr@ec.europa.eucnect-editor-nr@ec.europa.eu30Digital Agenda : awards for creative reuse of open datahttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/7073
European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes awarded prizes to the winners of the Open Data Challenge and Hack4Europe! competitions at the Digital Agenda Assembly being held in Brussels on 16th and 17th June 2011. Companies, designers, programmers, developers, journalists, researchers and the general public from across Europe participated in the two open data competitions, trying out their ideas for creative reuse of information held by the public sector and open cultural data. European public bodies produce thousands of datasets every year - from how our tax money is spent to the quality of the air we breathe. This data can be reused in products such as car navigation systems, weather forecasts, and travel information apps.Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:31:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/7073More EU citizens benefitting from online public serviceshttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/6537
More people across the EU now have access to public services online, according to Europe's 9th e-Government Benchmark Report released today. The average availability of online public services in the EU went up from 69% to 82% from 2009 to 2010. Putting more Government services online helps cut costs for public administrations and also reduces red tape for businesses and citizens. The report reveals the best and worst performers in the EU, focusing on two essential public services: 'finding a job' and 'starting a company'.Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:01:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/6537ENIAC and ARTEMIS public-private partnerships delivering, but need more industry and Member State commitmenthttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/6561
The European Commission has today endorsed a report by a panel of independent experts which calls on EU industry and Member States to reinforce their support for ARTEMIS and ENIAC, two public-private partnerships (established as Joint Undertakings) for collaborative research in the fields of nanoelectronics and embedded systems (used widely in cars, smart phones, power plants and elsewhere. The experts concluded that the current partnership model is good for industry, good for Member States, and good for Europe. However, they also found that more financial resources are needed from EU Member States and that industry needs to demonstrate a stronger commitment towards a European strategy if ARTEMIS and ENIAC are to realise their full potential.Thu, 16 Dec 2010 10:30:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/6561Digital Agenda: eGovernment Action Plan to smooth access to public services across the EUhttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/6547
The European Commission has outlined an ambitious programme to work with Member States' public authorities to expand and improve the services which they offer via the Internet. The new eGovernment Action Plan foresees forty specific measures over the next five years to enable citizens and businesses to use online facilities to, for example, register a business, apply for and access social security and health benefits, enrol in a university or bid to provide goods and services for public administrations. Promoting eGovernment can help boost Europe's competitiveness and allow public authorities to offer improved services more cost-effectively at a time of budget constraints.Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:59:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/6547Digital Agenda: broadband speeds increasing but Europe must do morehttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/6502
Broadband connections in Europe are much faster than one year ago according to statistics published today by the European Commission. In July 2010 29% of EU broadband lines had speeds of at least 10 megabits per second (Mbps) (up from 15% one year earlier).Broadband take up continues to grow in the EU with 25.6 subscriptions for every 100 citizens (23.9 one year earlier). Annual growth in mobile broadband is remarkable at 45%, with 6 mobile broadband dedicated access devices (usb-keys or dongles) per 100 citizens.Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:00:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/6502ICT 2010 press packhttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/6157
ICT 2010 event, Brussels, 27-29 September - Online press packMon, 27 Sep 2010 07:22:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/6157Digital Agenda: Commission outlines measures to deliver fast
and ultra-fast broadband in Europehttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/6070
Three complementary measures to facilitate the roll out and take up of fast and ultra-fast broadband in the EU have been adopted today by the European Commission. This package comprises a Commission Recommendation on regulated access to Next Generation Access (NGA) networks that provides regulatory certainty to telecom operators, ensuring an appropriate balance between the need to encourage investment and the need to safeguard competition, a proposal for a Decision to establish a Radio Spectrum Policy Programme to ensure, inter alia, that spectrum is available for wireless broadband and a Broadband Communication outlining how best to encourage public and private investment in high and ultra-high speed networks.Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:58:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/6070Telecoms: citizens and businesses pay the price for
inconsistent application of EU ruleshttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5827
Consumers, businesses and the EU economy as a whole are denied the full economic benefits of a truly single and competitive EU-wide telecoms market because of inconsistent application of EU telecoms rules, according to the European Commission's annual report on the Single European Electronic Communications Market. Most Member States' markets have become more competitive, but remain national in dimension. Moreover, the level of competitiveness varies strongly between Member States. Although Europe's telecoms sector weathered the financial storm in 2009 (0% growth compared to a 4.2% EU-wide economic decline), consistent enforcement of existing rules and investment in innovative services hold the key to future growth.Tue, 25 May 2010 11:35:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5827Digital Agenda: Commission outlines action plan to boost
Europe's prosperity and well-beinghttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5826
Implementing the ambitious Digital Agenda for Europe unveiled today by the European Commission would contribute significantly to the EU's economic growth and spread the benefits of the digital era to all sections of society.Wed, 19 May 2010 10:59:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5826Digital Agenda: investment in digital economy holds key to
Europe's future prosperity, says Commission reporthttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5789
Europe's digital economy is growing in strength, spreading throughout all sectors of the economy and reaching into all areas of our lives, according to the European Commission's Digital Competitiveness report published today.Mon, 17 May 2010 10:56:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5789European Commission calls on social networking companies to
improve child safety policieshttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5565
50% of European teenagers give out personal information on the web – according to an EU study – which can remain online forever and can be seen by anybody. Today, Safer Internet Day, the European Commission is passing a message to teenagers: "Think before you post!" It welcomed actions to protect children using social networking websites taken by the 20 companies who signed the Safer Social Networking Principles last year. Most of these companies have empowered minors to tackle online risks by making it easier to change privacy settings, block users or delete unwanted comments and content. Yet more needs to be done to protect children online, the Commission says. Less than half of social networking companies (40%) make profiles of under-18 users visible only to their friends by default and only one third replied to user reports asking for help.Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:00:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5565Simulation technology could help prevent future financial
criseshttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5433
The European Commission today unveiled breakthrough research that could help economists answer questions like these by using economic simulation software. Produced by an EU-backed research project worth €2.5 million that came to a successful end today, the software applies simulation technology also used for computer generated images (CGI) in movies. It predicts the interaction between large populations of different economic actors, like households and companies, banks and borrowers or employers and job-seekers, who trade, and compete like real people. By giving each simulated agent individual and realistic behaviour and interactions that show how markets will evolve, these massive scale simulations can better test new policies tackling future societal challenges.Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5433Europe's Digital Library doubles in size but also shows EU's
lack of common web copyright solutionhttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5181
4.6 million digitised books, maps, photographs, film clips and newspapers can now be accessed by internet users on Europeana, Europe's multilingual digital library (www.europeana.eu). The collection of Europeana has more than doubled since it was launched in November 2008 (IP/08/1747). Today the European Commission, in a policy document declared as its target to bring the number of digitised objects to 10 million by 2010. The Commission also opened a public debate on the future challenges for book digitisation in Europe: the potential of the public and private sector to team up and the need to reform Europe's too fragmented copyright framework.Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5181Digital economy can lift Europe out of crisis, says
Commission reporthttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5146
The European Commission's Digital Competitiveness report published today shows that Europe's digital sector has made strong progress since 2005: 56% of Europeans now regularly use the internet, 80% of them via a high-speed connection (compared to only one third in 2004), making Europe the world leader in broadband internet. Europe is the world's first truly mobile continent with more mobile subscribers than citizens (a take up rate of 119%). Europe can advance even further as a generation of "digitally savvy" young Europeans becomes a strong market driver for growth and innovation. Building on the potential of the digital economy is essential for Europe's sustainable recovery from the economic crisis. Today the Commission has asked the public what future strategy the EU should adopt to make the digital economy run at full speed.Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:00:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5146End of 'roaming rip-off': cost of texting, calling, surfing
the web abroad to plummet from today thanks to EU actionhttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5097
As of today, sending a text message from abroad in the EU costs a maximum €0.11, almost three times cheaper than the previous EU average of €0.28 (excl. VAT). To make a roamed call in another EU country must not cost more than €0.43 per minute, and no more than €0.19 to receive a call. From today, outgoing roaming calls will be charged by the second, after the first 30 seconds, rather than by the minute, and incoming calls will be charged by the second from the first second.Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:53:32 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/5097Science beyond fiction: Europe unveils strategy to become a
global leader in high-risk IT researchhttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/4871
Unlimited computing power, computers mimicking the brain, mind-controlled wheelchairs and friendly robotic companions are part of a new European plan to boost visionary research, unveiled by the European Commission today. With more investment and cooperation in high-risk research on future information technologies, Europe can lead the way in turning bright research ideas into future technologies. The Commission today proposed to boost Europe's high-risk research into future technologies by doubling research investment at national and EU level in this area by 2015. The Commission will lead by example, increasing the current funding of € 100 million per year by 70% by 2013.Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:00:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/4871Future of the Internet Conferencehttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/4860
One year after the "Bled Declaration" launching a European approach to the Future of the Internet, and the conference in Bled establishing the Future Internet Assembly, this event aims to review the strategic orientations and trends governing the future societal and economic developments of on-line Internet and Mobile societies.
The conference features a wide range of European and international speakers. In a follow-on workshop, it will also bring together more than 90 EU research projects and national initiatives that are instrumental in defining the Future of the Internet.Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:08:43 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/4860Mobile use up, consumer prices down: Europe's telecoms
sector weathering economic downturn, says Commission reporthttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/4784
Europe leads the world in mobile phone services with the number of subscriptions in 2008 at 119% of the EU population (up 7 percentage points from 2007), well ahead of the US (87%) and Japan (84%). This is a finding of today's Commission progress report on the single telecoms market. Despite the economic crisis, the EU's telecoms sector (worth about 3% of EU GDP) continued to grow in 2008 with revenues estimated at above €300 billion, up 1.3% compared to 2007 and outperforming the rest of the economy (up by 1% only).Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:03:03 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/4784Now Online: "Europeana", Europe's Digital Libraryhttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/4505
Europeana, Europe’s multimedia online library opens to the public today. At www.europeana.eu, Internet users around the world can now access more than two million books, maps, recordings, photographs, archival documents, paintings and films from national libraries and cultural institutions of the EU's 27 Member States. Europeana opens up new ways of exploring Europe’s heritage: anyone interested in literature, art, science, politics, history, architecture, music or cinema will have free and fast access to Europe's greatest collections and masterpieces in a single virtual library through a web portal available in all EU languages. But this is just the beginning. In 2010, Europeana will give access to millions of items representing Europe's rich cultural diversity and will have interactive zones such as communities for special interests. Between 2009 and 2011, some €2 million per year of EU funding will be dedicated to this. The Commission also plans to involve the private sector in the further expansion of Europe's digital library. In September 2007, the European Parliament supported, in a resolution voted by an overwhelming majority, the creation of a European digital library.Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:00:00 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/4505"Texting without borders": Commission plans ending roaming
rip-offs for text messages abroadhttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/4242
The 2.5 billion text messages sent every year by roaming customers in the EU cost over 10 times more than domestic short messages (SMS), show figures released today by the European Commission. The average cost of a roaming text message in the EU between October 2007 and March 2008 was €0.29 according to the European Regulators’ Group (ERG), but can be as high as €0.80 for travellers from Belgium. Calls on the industry for self-regulation and voluntary reductions of roaming prices for text messages have not been answered. The Commission will therefore start working on measures to ensure that consumers benefit from a truly single market for mobile text services. The Commission will also seek to put an end to "bill shocks" that can hit roaming customers using a mobile connection to surf the Internet. New measures could be proposed by the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council in early autumn.Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:05:30 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/4242EU puts European emergency number 112 on the map before the
summer holidayshttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/4150
The European Commission today stepped up its efforts to promote the use of the charge-free European emergency number 112 in the EU. As of today, the new website ec.europa.eu/112 will tell citizens how to use 112 and what to expect from it, particularly when they travel within the EU. It also shows how 112 functions in each Member State: how quickly calls are answered and in which languages.Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:00:40 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/4150An unlimited source of Internet addresses to be on stream in
Europe by 2010https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/4133
Increasing demand for Internet based services means that there would not be enough addresses to support this expected growth, if no action is taken. Encouraging internet users and providers to adopt the latest Internet Protocol (IP version 6 or IPv6) will provide a massive increase in address space, much in the same way as telephone numbers were lengthened in the 20th century. The European Commission today set Europe a target of getting 25% of EU industry, public authorities and households to use IPv6 by 2010, calling for concerted action at European level to get all actors prepared for a timely, efficient change to avoid extra costs for consumers and give innovative European companies a competitive advantage.Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:04 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/41338 EU Member States ahead of the US in broadband deployment
says Commission’s Telecoms Reporthttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/3963
Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden are world leaders in broadband deployment with penetration rates over 30% at the end of 2007, says the European Commission’s 13th Progress Report on the Single Telecoms Market issued on 19 March. These EU countries, together with the United Kingdom, Belgium, Luxembourg and France, all had broadband penetration rates higher than the US (22.1%) in July 2007. 19 million broadband lines were added in the EU in 2007, the equivalent of more than 50,000 households every day. The broadband sector generated estimated revenues of € 62 billion and Europe’s overall penetration reached 20%. However, there is considerable scope for further consumer benefits from a reinforced single market, strengthened competition and reduced regulatory burden for market players.Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:30:08 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/3963Europe's GÉANT, the world's highest speed computer network,
goes globalhttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/3915
Europe's GÉANT, the world's largest multi-gigabit computer network dedicated to research and education, is linking up to similar networks world-wide to create a single global research network. In Europe, GÉANT already links researchers from Reykjavik to Vladivostok, serving around 30 million users in over 3500 universities and research centres and connecting 34 national research networks. High-speed links will now be established with regional research network infrastructures emerging in the Balkans, the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions, as well Asia, Southern Africa and Latin America. In Europe, GÉANT has enabled ground-breaking research collaboration in fields such as climate change, radio astronomy and biotechnology.Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:01:10 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/3915Commission proposes a single European Telecoms Market for
500 million consumershttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/3701
On 13 November the Commission adopted proposals for a reform of the EU telecoms rules. With the reform, the Commission wants to enable citizens, wherever they live and wherever they travel in the EU, to benefit from better and cheaper communication services, whether they use mobile phones, fast broadband internet connections or cable TV. To achieve this, the Commission proposes strengthening consumer rights; giving consumers more choice by reinforcing competition between telecoms operators; promoting investment into new communication infrastructures, in particular by freeing radio spectrum for wireless broadband services; and making communication networks more reliable and more secure, especially in case of viruses and other cyber-attacks. A new European Telecom Market Authority will support the Commission and national telecoms regulators in ensuring that market rules and consumer regulation are applied consistently, independently and without protectionism in all 27 EU Member States. To become law, the Commission proposals will now need to be approved by the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers.Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:01:32 GMThttps://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/3701